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New DAC issues

I have been on a steady system upgrade path over the last year and one of the last pieces to be updated is my DAC, a Schiit Gungnir Multibit. I have no complaints with it, but I am always in search of more and better. The majority of my upgrades have been a big success.

I recently purchased a new DAC that shall remain unnamed, I don't want to throw it and the builder under the bus, but it is about a 5x multiple in cost over the Gungnir. I have had the new DAC for four days now, and I have been playing it continuously. When I installed it, I simply unplugged the other DAC and substituted this one, so minimal change. Initial impressions were that it sounded pretty lean and the soundstage was not great, but I figured it would sound better after warming up. There has been some improvement, but it is not significant.

Playing music with the Gungnir in place, bass was plentiful without being overbearing, and very clean. With the new DAC, bass is almost an afterthought. The Gungnir presented a beautiful soundstage and my speakers disappeared. The new DAC presents a good center image, though smaller than the Gungnir, and the speakers are pretty apparent on most tracks. In general, the magic is gone from the music, there is detail in the mids and highs, but not a lot of life.

I expected a different sound of course, but I cannot imagine that this is the way a DAC at this level is supposed to sound. I think that the Gungnir is considered a warmer DAC, but the contrast in this case is extreme. I am wondering if there is either an issue with the unit or somehow a mismatch with my gear. It provides a 3V output vs the Gungnir's 4V, which may make it a little less lively, but 3V is not out of the ordinary.

The rest of my systems is Pass XP-12 -> Coda #8 -> KEF Reference 1. I am in between streamers right now and using my DigiOne/Pi with LPS over RCA SP/DIF. One could question the streamer, but it sounds great with the Gungnir. I had an Aurender N10, but I did not get along with the Conductor software and now have an Innuos Zenith on the way. Connections are all balanced with Wireworld Eclipse 8's, Acoustic Zen speaker cables and an Acoustic Zen digital cable. Power is dedicated and runs through a Furman Elite 20.

I listen mostly to jazz and lower levels and I have always had a full sound, however with the new DAC the system is no longer engaging. Thoughts? Can a DAC just be incredibly lean?

 

 

zlone
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,412 posts
 

@zlone was the same streaming device used with both the old and the new dacs. 
dac needs about 200hrs to break in. During this time it can evolve tonally but if the soundstage is only limited to the center image that’s unlikely to improve 
 

zlone OP
481 posts
 

Thanks for the responses. I will be giving the unit some more time as I am familiar with longer break in times as my Coda amp took a full week to sound decent. I will also be switching to the Innuos Zenith next week, and USB as opposed to SP/DIF, so perhaps there will be some change using the DAC's onboard clock. 

I have heard other DAC's in this line and I did speak with a couple dealers, however I did not specifically audition it. I had not planned on replacing my DAC just yet, but it was very high on my list when I came across it as a demo unit for an attractive price and decided after a few days to pick it up.

To be fair it does produce some very nice sound, but overall it just is not doing it for me, especially in the lower registers. Probably just not the DAC that I had hoped it was, and I will have to continue my search. 

zlone OP
481 posts
 

@audphile1 was the same streaming device used with both the old and the new dacs. dac needs about 200hrs to break in. During this time it can evolve tonally but if the soundstage is only limited to the center image that’s unlikely to improve 

Yes. I literally removed the old DAC and using the same cables plugged the new one into the system. No other changes. I will be giving it some more time for sure. Part of my motivation here was to see if there are technical reasons that some DAC's do not play well with certain equipment.

 

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,412 posts
 

Also if you have an aftermarket power cord on the new dac, go back to stock cord to get a baseline. If you used the same cord on Schiit and new dac it’s possible there’s no synergy with that cord.

gdnrbob
4,422 posts
 

Though your new DAC might need to be 'burnt in', I think it telling that you didn't notice a significant upgrade from you Schitt Gungy.

I went from the Bifrost to Gungnir and heard a definite improvement in sound quality. I also had the Ayre Codex, which was very close to the Yggy.

My final jump was to the Brinkmann Nyquist II. In every change, I noticed the sound quality improved, no questions asked.

So, IMHO, if you don't find this new DAC smoking the last one, it might be a reason to look to another brand.

Note:

I noticed that your streamer might be changing to Innuos, which happens to be my streamer. I think you should wait and see if the Innuos improves upon the sound. Streamers can make a huge difference, too.

B

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